The Precautionary Principle in the Architecture of Climate Denialism: A Critical Reading from Cass Sunstein

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21142/DES-1704-2025-0091

Keywords:

Precautionary Principle, Cass Sunstein, Climate Change, Disinformation, Denialism, Cognitive Biases, Climate Policy

Abstract

This article critically analyzes the political paralysis regarding the climate crisis, using Cass Sunstein's theoretical framework to examine how the precautionary principle is instrumentalized by denialism. It demonstrates that denialist and delayist discourses exploit key cognitive biases, such as the "availability heuristic" and "probability neglect," by contrasting the tangible costs of mitigation with the abstract benefits of a stable climate and by dismissing catastrophic scenarios as "alarmist." These biases are socially amplified through "availability cascades" and group polarization. In conclusion, the article argues for the need to abandon naive formulations of the precautionary principle and adopt more robust approaches, such as the "anti-catastrophe principle" and cost-benefit analysis, to build a coherent climate policy that is resilient to manipulation.

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Author Biography

  • Iván Vargas-Chaves, Universidad Militar Nueva Granada

    Doctor en Derecho Supranacional e Interno de la Università di Palermo (Italia). Doctor en Derecho Internacional Privado de la Universidad de Barcelona (España). Profesor Asociado de la Facultad de Derecho “General Luis Carlos Camacho Leyva” de la Universidad Militar Nueva Granada (Bogotá, Colombia). 

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Published

2025-12-22

How to Cite

The Precautionary Principle in the Architecture of Climate Denialism: A Critical Reading from Cass Sunstein. (2025). Desde El Sur, 17(4), e0091. https://doi.org/10.21142/DES-1704-2025-0091

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